Method for producing a microscreen

ABSTRACT

A method for producing a microscreen is described in which, in a first step, a support is provided, in a second step, a photoresist layer with a definable thickness is applied to the support, in an exposure step, the photoresist is exposed by means of the effect of radiation using a mask that defines the structure of the microscreen, in a development step, the photoresist is developed, characterized in that the thickness of the photoresist layer is selected such that, in a sub-region of the photoresist layer, the radiation used for the exposure penetrates only so slightly that practically no cross-linking of the photoresist takes place.

The invention relates to a process for producing a microsieve.

For demanding separation tasks, for example in medical technology or biotechnology, microsieves are increasingly being used. For instance, the enrichment or extraction of particular cells from human blood can be effected by means of filtration of the blood through a microsieve (microfiltration). Microsieves, in contrast to the conventional microfilters made from sponge-like polymeric or ceramic membranes, have a defined pore geometry and are therefore much more efficient and have better classification.

For optimization of a filtration method, a freely selectable pore geometry and pore density and distribution of the microsieve are advantageous. In contrast to sponge-like filter membranes, the particles retained barely penetrate into the surface, if at all, in the case of microsieves. Thus, they are firstly more easily identifiable microscopically and secondly can be detached more easily from the filter if required by further analysis methods.

One type of known microsieves is that of the track-etched membranes. In the case of these, a polymer film is bombarded with heavy ions and the trace left behind in the film by the heavy ions is subsequently broadened by an etching operation to give a pore. As a result of the production process therefor, these membranes have a spatially irregular pore distribution. According to the pore size, the maximum number of pores per unit area is limited to a considerable degree. For example, it is only possible with track-etched membranes in the case of a pore diameter of 8 micrometers to achieve a pore fraction of the total area of the membrane of 5% at most. Moreover, a multitude of pores pass through the base material of the membrane not at right angles but obliquely. Furthermore, double pores occur, which together give rise to a common pore having a diameter greater than the nominal diameter.

WO 2011/139445 A1 discloses a method for producing microsieves, in which a photostructurable dry resist in the form of an epoxy resin film is structured by means of a photolithographic operation to give a microsieve. A disadvantage of the known process is that a detachment step is always required for removal of the microsieve from the carrier used in the production, or alternatively a step in which the microsieve is undermined in subregions. WO 2011/139445 A1 especially proposes an etching step for this purpose, with which a copper carrier is removed from the microsieve.

It is an object of the present invention to specify an improved process for producing a microsieve. This object is achieved by a process having the features of claim 1. The dependent claims relate to advantageous configurations of the process.

In the process according to the invention for producing a microsieve, a photoresist layer having a definable thickness is applied to a carrier. In addition, exposure of the photoresist is undertaken using a mask, the mask defining the structure of the microsieve. Finally, development of the photoresist is undertaken.

In this case, the thickness of the photoresist layer is chosen such that the radiation used for exposure penetrates into a subregion of the photoresist layer only to such a minor degree that virtually no crosslinking of the photoresist takes place.

For the invention, it was recognized that, in the case of negative photoresists, illumination through thick photoresist layers is subject to limits because of the absorption of the radiation used. One example of this is the resist of the AZ nLOF family: In the case of this photoresist, the light intensity at a wavelength of 365 nm after a resist layer thickness of 10 μm is already below 1% of the incident power. This intensity, even in the case of long exposure times, is insufficient for adequate crosslinking.

In the production of the microsieve, this effect is exploited: advantageously, the unexposed portion in the photoresist layer serves as sacrificial layer. In the development of the microsieve structures, the unexposed subregion of the photoresist layer is dissolved as well. As a result, the microsieve automatically becomes detached from the carrier used. Any additional process step, for example an etching step, is unnecessary and can be dispensed with. The production or provision of a sacrificial layer which enables separation of the microsieve from the carrier is also unnecessary. In addition, photolithography operations are advantageously widespread and allow a high substrate throughput and hence inexpensive manufacture.

The mask is especially configured in such a way that the microsieve receives a hole structure, in which case the holes have a diameter, especially homogeneous diameter, between about 1 micrometer and 50 micrometers. In a particularly preferred configuration, the holes have a homogeneous diameter between 5 micrometers and about 25 micrometers, especially between about 7 micrometers and about 15 micrometers.

Preferably, the thickness chosen for the photoresist layer is at least the penetration depth of the radiation used for exposure, the penetration depth here referring to that depth in the photoresist at which the radiation intensity has been halved. More particularly, the thickness chosen for the photoresist layer may be at least twice the penetration depth.

It is advantageous when a photoresist having a low penetration depth is used, for example having a penetration depth of not more than 5 μm, especially not more than 1 μm.

The absolute thickness chosen for the photoresist layer is preferably a thickness between 1 μm and 20 μm, in a particular configuration a thickness between 1 μm and 5 μm.

In a further advantageous configuration of the process, the mask is configured such that an anchoring structure is produced after the development of the photoresist, the anchoring structure being configured such that the microsieve adheres to the carrier after the development. For this purpose, as well as the configuration of the mask, the development time chosen is appropriately sufficiently short that the anchoring structures do not become detached from the carrier.

In this case, the removal of the unexposed portion of the photoresist layer does not lead to complete detachment of the microsieve formed from the carrier. Instead, the predominant portion of the microsieve is formed in such a way that a separation between the microsieve and the carrier is assured.

The microsieves produced are usable, for example, for the analysis of what are called circulating tumor cells (CTCs). In this case, both the thickness of the microsieve and the diameter and periodicity of the pores also play a crucial role in the cell analysis. By the processes described, it is possible to produce microsieves for cell analysis in a suitable thickness and with a suitable pore diameter in an expensive and simple manner.

The microsieve thus obtained may especially be used for separation of solid substances and/or for retention of solid substances from a liquid and/or gas stream. A microsieve may thus generally also be understood to mean a microfilter element. The microsieve may especially be a (separating) membrane.

The microsieve may especially be used for enrichment or extraction of particular cells from cell-containing body fluids, for example from blood, urine, biopsy fluids, saliva, etc., including from human blood or from natural or synthetically created cell suspensions or dilutions thereof.

A preferred but in no way restrictive working example of the invention is now elucidated in detail with reference to the FIGURE of the drawing. The features are shown here in schematic form.

The sole FIGURE shows a production process for production of a microsieve 120 having a defined pore distribution and defined pore geometries having process steps from photolithography.

In a first step 110, a carrier 130 is provided for the microsieve 120 to be produced. The carrier 130 is, for example, a silicon wafer or a glass plate. It is also possible to use other essentially smooth and particularly wafer-like carriers 130. The only prerequisite is that the carrier 130 is suitable, especially chemically stable, for the typical steps of photolithography.

In a second step 111, a photoresist layer 140 is produced on the carrier. The photoresist layer 140 may be applied in known production variants, for example by means of spin-coating or spray application.

In this case, particular attention is paid to the ratio of the thickness 141 of the photoresist layer 140 and the optical density of the photoresist used. The thickness 141 is chosen to be sufficiently great that a subregion 142 of the photoresist layer 140 remains unexposed in the subsequent exposure step 112, or is exposed to such a minor degree that there is insufficient crosslinking in the photoresist. This achieves the effect that, on development, the subregion 142 of the photoresist layer 140 is removed together with the photoresist in the pores 121 of the microsieve 120. Thus, the entire photoresist which accounts for and brings about the connection to the carrier 130 is removed, such that the microsieve 120 becomes completely detached from the carrier 130. The thickness of the photoresist layer 140 in the FIGURE is shown in significantly exaggerated form relative to the thickness of the carrier 130.

For example, the photoresist used may be a material of the AZ nLOF series. This material has such an optical density that the light to be used for the exposure penetrates a photoresist layer 140 having a thickness 141 of 10 μm only to an extent of about 1%. This results in a subregion 142 of several μm in thickness which has been insufficiently exposed. At the same time, the thickness of the subregion 142 is dependent on the thickness 141 of the photoresist layer 140 and the exposure time. If a comparatively high exposure time arises from the desired pore geometry or the desired thickness of the microsieve 120, the thickness 141 of the photoresist layer 140 can be increased, for example to 20 μm, in order again to obtain a sufficient subregion 142.

As is well known, the further processing of the photoresist layer 140 may be preceded by a baking step, for example at 110° C.

In an exposure step 112, the exposure of the photoresist then takes place. For this purpose, the photoresist layer 140 is exposed to suitable radiation, for example radiation of wavelength 365 nm. A suitably configured mask 145 prevents exposure at those sites that are later to become pores 121 of the microsieve 120. In this case, it is possible to produce a single microsieve 120. Alternatively, it is also simultaneously possible to produce a composition composed of a multitude of microsieves 120. For this purpose, the mask 145 is configured suitably, for example by masking division regions 146 between the individual microsieves 120 to be produced in addition to the pores 121 to be produced with the mask 145.

The crosslinking of the photoresist that sets in in the exposure step 112 leads to formation of the actual microsieve structure. In order to assure a maximum accuracy of the microstructures to be produced, in other applications of photolithography, the thickness of the photoresist layer is not chosen to be excessively high compared to the penetration depth of the radiation into the photoresist. This forces crosslinking of the photoresist over the entire photoresist layer.

This is completely at odds with the present case, however, as already described, that the photoresist layer 140 chosen is thick compared to the penetration depth, such that there always remains a subregion 142 which is not sufficiently affected by the exposure. As a result, the subregion 142 automatically constitutes a sacrificial layer.

In the development step 113, in a manner known per se, development of the photoresist takes place, for example with TMAH solution. The subregion 142 becomes detached together with the further unexposed portions of the photoresist layer 140. As a result, detachment of the microsieve 120 from the carrier 130 takes place automatically. The advantage of this process procedure is thus that no additional sacrificial layer is needed and the photoresist does not just serve to structure the microsieve 120 but is also simultaneously the material for the actual microsieve 120.

The microsieve structure thus obtained can subsequently be subjected to a further thermal treatment, for example for stabilization. In addition, the microsieve structure can be separated into smaller microsieves 120.

In a second working example of the invention, a microsieve 120 in which the end result is that the photoresist structure produced does not become fully detached from the carrier 130 is produced, and instead there remain anchoring structures, by means of which the microsieve 120 remains anchored on the carrier 130.

This exploits the fact that, in the development of the photoresist layer 140, the developer fluid can undermine the structures of the microsieve 120 only at a certain rate and hence cannot assure detachment of the photoresist layer 140 from the carrier 130 at the same rate everywhere. 

1-6. (canceled)
 7. A process for producing a microsieve, comprising: applying a photoresist layer to a carrier, the photoresist layer having a definable thickness chosen such that radiation used for exposure penetrates into a subregion of the photoresist layer insufficiently to cause any substantial crosslinking of the photoresist; exposing the photoresist layer by action of radiation using a mask defining a structure of the microsieve; and developing the photoresist. 